from Saturday, July2nd of the year2011.

More on this soon, but you guys? I am in a festival in Finland called Avanti! and these players are unbelievably great not just as individual players but as chamber musicians and orchestral musicians all at the same time. It’s across the board awesome musicianship in such a divine way. These people are going to take over the world if we’re not careful! It’s pretty intense. And they’re all mixed ages, too – some in their 20s and some in their 50s and older. Everybody seems to be getting along well and every time we call a break in the orchestra rehearsal, some group of them – sometimes not even traditional sections – stays afterwards to rehearse the delicate and difficult ensemble work required to really OWN a piece of music. It’s really inspiring and refreshing, also because when I made a big dill on it and a big fuss on them, they were like, um, doesn’t everybody do this?